The Light and the Dark
by Nightwingess
Summary: AU- Pitch find Jack after he rises from the pond and takes him on as an apprentice. Years later, Jack finds himself at a tower with a woman with more light than he's ever seen.


**Prompt:** Can you do a fanfic where Jack takes up Pitch's offer and goes with him then turns into "Nightmare Jack" then maybe a few years later, he meets Rapunzel and eventually falls in love with her?

Note: I also just realized I never brought up her long hair so just pretend in this fic her hair is of normal length :D

* * *

If Jack could sleep, he was sure he'd have nightmares, nightmares of the first night he remembered anything at all. He was rising from the pond...there was darkness, then hues of blue and for a brief moment the light of the moon. He was sure there was a whisper, a whisper from the moon in the sky but it was too quiet in comparison with the voice of Pitch Black.

While louder than the moon, it was a faint voice, a voice that told him to follow, but Jack was afraid.

He heard the moon call him Jack Frost, he heard Pitch telling him to come along, instead he rose up into the air. The wind picked him up and carried him to a nearby town. There, he felt safe and less afraid, almost cheerful to see people, children bustling about their homes, stores and fire. He lifted his hand, spoke aloud to ask a question and before he finished his sentence, he felt the bitter ache of invisibility as a child walked through his very body.

Over and over it happened, he could hardly catch his breath, and each time he placed his hand on his chest to reassure himself he was real.

It was then that Pitch fully revealed himself, "I see you." Pitch whispered, and Jack, with no other options, followed.

That had been years ago.

Since then, Jack was Pitch's right hand man, helping him form nightmares, nightmares born out of the coldness and loneliness he felt everyday day he'd lived since that night. Jack never knew where the nightmares went, he would only create them and send them off but not once had he been so curious as to see where they ended up.

He asked Pitch where they'd gone but Pitch would only laugh and pat Jack's shoulder, "In time." He'd say but nothing more.

There were days Jack wanted to leave, days he hated Pitch for being so vague, so quiet but he could not bring himself to leave forever because Pitch was the only being that could see him, or so he believed.

From time to time he'd go out into the light, he'd wave at children who would then move through his body, laughing as they headed off in another direction with Jack on his knees.

There were days when Jack never wanted to leave, the pain of knowing his existence was barely one at all made him want to close his eyes and fade deeper into darkness, and he did.

On his worst days, he'd walk through snow storms from his own creation and fall against the glaciers, staring out into the endless icy seas.

It went on like this for decades until one day, Pitch did not return.

On that day Jack had panicked, without Pitch to speak to him, he'd often forget if he was really there. He spent the day touching his heart and his head to remind himself, he waited and looked out into the darkness, but Pitch was no where in sight.

Jack knew he'd have to look for him. Pitch had long ago told him that if he went missing it was Jack's duty, as Pitch's apprentice, to find him and if the worst should happen, avenge him.

It was the one promise Jack had ever made, and it was the one he intended to keep, the only problem was he did not know where to look. He called out to the nightmares, he asked for them to follow as he searched for his mentor. With a flick of his finger, the wind picked him off the ground and carried him out into the world.

With his nightmares, he went on the hunt, together they searched the dark holes of the earth, the shadows, the back alleys, under beds, wherever fear was strongest, Jack would go.

Days, weeks, months and yet Pitch was still missing, still gone. There were traces of his presence, fears on the tongues of strangers, lingering doubts on bystanders, but Pitch himself was gone.

Jack kicked the snow, "I'm doing something wrong," He said to himself, "I've been looking where I think Pitch would be but if he was taken, he's got to be where he'd never go…"

And so, Jack searched the places full of light, or so he tried. Too often the light was too much for him to bare, too much wonder, hope, too many dreams for him to withstand... that is until the day he came upon a lonely tower in the middle of a forest.

He suspected it right away, such a secluded place should be full of darkness, full of fear but it lacked both, he could sense all the other emotions that made it too difficult for him to come close but this particular tower had a warmth that drew him in.

The nightmares whispered for him not to go, that they would enter first but Jack waved them away, he wasn't afraid.

He stood on the ledge of the tower's window and pushed back the wooden doors, as he thought, it was dark inside but the warmth was stronger than before. His eyes caught sight of a person, laying in a bed and as he walked closer, he could see it was a young woman with a cheerful smile on her face.

The expression was so sweet, so kind, he felt as though the ice that covered him head to toe melted a bit, just a bit.

Before he could examine her further, the nightmares had bursted into the room and were now within inches of her. The girl tossed and turned, her mind full of dark thoughts created by the nightmares that had seeped their way into her dreams, corrupting them with cynical thoughts, consuming all her hopes.

"Stop!" Jack shouted, with a wave of his staff he shoved each nightmare away, they backed to the window, fearful Jack would freeze them as he was so often prone to do whenever he was upset.

He turned back to the girl, surprised to see her awake, standing on the bed with a pan in her hand as though she was prepared to strike her attackers dead.

"Who are you?"

Jack was about to answer when he was hit with the realization that this young woman could see him. It was such a shock to him that he fell to his knees, he felt breathless and weak. The nightmares crowded around him, attempting to fill him with the familar darkness he'd known for years rather than the hope that came with being seen.

Rapunzel quickly jumped from her bed and shooed them back, her light was too great for them to withstand now that she was awake and aware.

Jack rose up from the floor and placed a kind hand on her arm, "It's okay."

He told the nightmares to go and reluctantly they went, although not far, with their master gone Jack was their leader and they would not stray.

"Thanks." Jack said, still in a daze.

"I should be thanking you," She was smiling at him and that made him feel weak again, he wobbled over to the ledge of the window and sat down, he leaned against the window's frame and shook his head.

"Are you all right?" She sat down next to him, Jack wobbled more and nearly fell out of the window, Rapunzel was quick to catch him, her eyes wide from his near death experience, he laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked in confusion.

"I'm not use to being cared for, that's all." It had been so long since he'd had a conversation with someone other than Pitch, in fact it was the first he had in his memory, he tried to recall a normal question to ask and it was then that he remembered questions strangers would ask each other on the streets, "What's your name?" He wanted to know everything about her.

"Rapunzel, what's yours?" She fiddled with her hair which Jack now noticed was long, very long, longer than he thought was humanly possible although he was no expert not being human himself, or if he had been, not anymore.

"Jack Frost," He could hear the nightmares calling for him outside, they didn't like Rapunzel, they didn't like how warm she was, "I better go."

He stood up on the ledge and twirled his staff in his hand, Rapunzel quickly pulled him back in.

"Go? Are you insane! Do you want to die?" He hadn't realized a human wouldn't understand what he was, which made him wonder what it was that made humans see creatures like him to begin with. Pitch had said they had to believe they existed, but if Rapunzel knew who he was, and she had to if she saw him, then surely she'd know he'd be fine.

"I can fly…" Jack said with a raised eyebrow, although he found her worry, something he couldn't remember experiencing on his behalf before, sweet.

Rapunzel, who was now standing on the floor, leaned back on her right foot, pointed her left and placed her right hand on her chin while the other touched the fold of her other elbow. It was all very precise.

"Do you always stand like that when you're thinking?"

"Stand like what?"

A flicker of mischief shinned through his eyes, "Like you're undressing whatever you're looking at."

Rapunzel's cheeks darkened from the rush of blood, she moved her hand away from her face and waved it quickly, "N-no. No. I wasn't doing that I just wanted to know how you flew."

"You could have asked."

"Oh, sorry, habit, I'm a… visual person," She smiled and gestured to the ceiling, from the light of the window Jack could see parts of the walls, all covered in intricate paintings with detailed coloring. He let out a low gasp.

"That's, impressive," He said in awe.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel rocked back and forth on her feet, she couldn't help but think of the strange predicament she'd gotten herself into, or rather one that had fallen into her lap.

Mother Gothel told her to be weary of strangers and in a different circumstance she would have most certainly hit Jack across the head with a pan, but Jack had saved her and for that she was grateful.

But there was something else in the matter that bothered her, Jack looked lost and while she knew her mother wouldn't approve of what Rapunzel was doing, she couldn't very well let this very strange stranger go without making sure he was in the right state of mind.

"Do you want some pie?" She clasped her hands behind her back, and waited for an answer.

Jack turned around, he was surprised by the question, he never had to eat, while he was never full, he was very much empty, hunger was not a need he had to fill.

"Sure."

He didn't want to go.

She clapped her hands and ran over to the kitchen where she lit several candles to see, when she returned she had a plate of pie, leftovers from yesterday morning.

"It's only a day old, let me know if it tastes funny." Jack nodded, he looked around for a table to sit at but changed his mind when he saw she sat down on the floor. He joined her, ignoring the louder calls of the nightmares outside the window.

After the first few bites, delicious ones at that, he had to ask her, "How can you see me?"

Rapunzel didn't understand the question, "The same way I see the stars?" She said with a shrug of her shoulders. She had sight, her eyes worked just fine, it made her wonder if Jack had spent a lifetime with the blind, not that she would know what a life like that was. She had only read about the blind, read about the deaf, read about a thousands people things she'd never seen, touched or met.

"But only people who believe I exist can see me." Jack said, he tried to hide the pain in his voice but Rapunzel heard it nevertheless.

She put her hand on his, he lowered his fork and plate, "Is that why you look so sad?"

Jack forced out a laugh, "I'm not sad, I'm just looking for someone and it's taking longer than I thought."

She thought over his words and while she thought, he drowned out the nightmares with more of her pie, eating it quicker and quicker until he nearly choked on it. He coughed when the last of it had entered his throat. She picked up the plate and fork and went away to the kitchen.

She didn't seem afraid of the dark, not that Jack was either but he wasn't afraid because it was all he'd known, her boldness seemed to come from something else altogether, perhaps the very same reason he'd thought to come here looking for Pitch.

When she had returned, she found him staring out the window, the nightmares had gotten so loud that he had put hands over his ears to block the noise, she stepped, beside him, leaned forward on her toes, and placed her hands over his, "Did you mean yourself?" She asked.

Jack moved his hands away from his head and hers fell to her sides, "What, myself?"

"Looking for yourself?" She asked earnestly. Jack laughed again.

"No." He kicked up his staff from the floor and twirled it around his fingers, over and over again trying to ignore the questions that followed her own, why did she think he meant himself?

When he looked up he saw her staring at his hand, "What is it?" He asked.

"You're very good at that," She said smiling, "Very quick!"

"Yeah, years of practice."

"Years alone?" Rapunzel asked, her voice was faltering, she knew she was digging deeper than he was comfortable with but she couldn't stop herself, she was too worried to continue with small talk.

"Why would you think that, you interested?" He forced himself to wink, he wanted to lighten the mood but Rapunzel wasn't buying it. He rolled his eyes and looked away from her, he didn't want to give her a direct answer.

_I should have left earlier._

"I get lonely too, it's just me in the tower, for almost 18 years…" She rubbed her shoulder, "Sometimes mother Gothel comes to visit and when she does it's nice, in a way… she means well." Rapunzel was mumbling.

Jack was intrigued by the parts of her history she had chosen to share, he'd never heard of humans being that alone, locked away, not unless they had committed some crime and he doubted someone as kind as her would be capable of anything that would warrant imprisonment.

"You… you get lonely?"

"Sometimes, when mother Gothel comes I'm reminded," She touched her chest, "I'm here." She was trailing off but Jack wanted her to speak up, he knew the feeling well.

"And what do you do to keep yourself from being… alone?"

She smiled, and put a hand on his shoulder, "I paint people on my walls and they whisper stories to me, or I sing out to the birds and they join me, and sometimes when I close my eyes I see all the characters from the novels I read and they say hello."

Jack let out a breath, one frosted and fogged, she turned her head to avoid the coldness, he apologized feeling bad for the sudden cold air he'd given her. He was always so cold but he was alone, so very alone, how could they be so similar and yet so different?

"How do you have hope?" He asked the question as if it was the most impossible thing in the world.

Rapunzel had never thought about it before, she'd never thought her situation was so dire it would require her to think so deeply about it nor did she believe she "endured," she believed she was on the edge of living and that one day she would, it was innate to her.

"I just do… I just see the world that way." It was the only answer she could think to give.

Jack backed away farther and farther until he was back at the window, the nightmares were calling to him again, they were afraid Jack would listen to her words, and indeed he was but it was too much for his lonely soul to take in one night and so without another word he let the wind pick him up again and his disappeared into the night with Rapunzel calling his name.

* * *

After that night, Jack stopped looking for Pitch and instead lingered around the tower, the nigthmares hated him for it, they often tried to scare Rapunzel first but Jack always stopped them and from time to time Jack would say hello but he refused to come inside. Some nights he'd find a plate of pie on the ledge and although he still had no hunger, he'd eat it anyway knowing it'd make her smile to see the empty plate in the morning.

Days turned into months and Jack began to question what it was he was doing, what he needed to do. The nightmares faded from sight until there were only a handful left. He started going out into the streets to frost colder places, to watch children smile for no other reason than every smile reminded him of her.

Pitch had always told him children smiled for the wrong reasons, that they were up to no good and for years Jack had believed him. What good could they be if they ignored him? He didn't believe that anymore, a smile was warm, and not the smile that Pitch would give in the darkness, the wicked, sinister smile of a man with plans to cover the word in his darkness but smiles of warmth that came from goodness and kindness.

Jack had never understood what Pitch wanted to do, nor did he question it, he did as he was asked because he had no one else but as the days passed he came to realize what the nightmares were for.

He had flashbacks of the first night with Rapunzel, what they had done to her mind. The mental block that had come from years of obedience, brainwashing, melted away. The nightmares brought pain, and for so long Jack wanted to end his, instead he enabled it by staying with the nightmares. He cried for the first time in all the memories he had from the moment he'd risen from the pond.

He'd tried to cry before but never could, all that came was ice from his eyes, but this night it came as true tears and because of this, when he flew to Rapunzel's tower, he stayed.

He laid his head on her lap, cried and told her of all his fears, all the pain, all the suffering and, worst of all, the guilt he had for doing Pitch's bidding, the nightmares he'd spread because he couldnt' see the bigger picture, he couldn't see what was in front of his eyes. She stroked his hair and whispered to him all the comforts she knew until her eyes could no longer stay open and she fell asleep.

He carried her to her bed and waited by the window for her to wake up, when she did she was smiling, happy to see he'd stayed.

* * *

From the months that followed, Jack came to visit her whenever her mother wasn't around, and every time he came, she welcomed him. The nightmares no longer followed him, a relief to Jack, so much so that he expressed it to Rapunzel one day.

"I wonder if that's why your eyes are blue now," She said touching his cheek, he loved her touch, he loved her warmth.

"They are?" Jack had never bothered to look in a mirror, he'd catch glimpses of himself in the reflections of water and ice but he never looked for long, he didn't want to know what he had become. Rapunzel on the other hand had studied all his features from the powedered freckles on his face to the creases and folds of his hands. The color of his eyes was a more obvious one, "They used to be such a frightening yellow, not like the sun, something terribly scary, they never suited you Jack."

"And now?" He leaned into her hand.

"Now? Well… I've never seen an ocean but I've read so many descriptions of one," She giggled, "But if there was water… water untouched, pure water, that would be your eyes with ice running through it, little cracks of ice."

Jack was blushing and Rapunzel took notice, she took notice of all the little things about him, it was in her nature, "Jack Frost blushing at something I said!" She pulled her hand away to hold her stomach, she was laughing so hard her sides ached.

"I wasn't blushing," Jack said dryly, "You're just seeing things Punz."

She rolled her eyes, she hated that nickname, "Punzie?" Jack asked, another nickname she hated; she chose not to respond.

"Zhelly." Jack said sweetly, the only one of the three that she had taken a liking too.

"Yes Jack?" She was picking up the plates from their lunch, her mother would be back for dinner which left them a few hours of talking.

"Don't you ever want to see the water?"

She laughed, "I see water, how do you think I stay clean!"

Jack smirked, he loved it when she accidentally set up the perfect lines for him, "You want me to fantasize about it?"

She scoffed and shook her head, she didn't mind it, no she took it as a sign that he was doing better, Jack teased a lot more than the first few months she'd known him, back when he would only wave at her and she would watch him go with the saddest sigh.

Even so, she wasn't going to let him know this or else he'd get too bold, "Stop it,"

"Sorry, sorry, but in all honesty, why don't you come with me, I'll take you to see the ocean."

Rapunzel inhaled deeply, she didn't answer the question, she only set her dishes aside to wash for later, but still she did wonder, what it would be like to smell the salt air she'd read about, to touch the ocean itself where thousands, millions, trillions of lives that swam about under the water.

"Mother wouldn't approve." She said sadly.

"But if I got you back before she knew…" Jack nudged her shoulder with his own, she chuckled and shook her head no.

"Rapunzel, just once, just one time…" He could see he wasn't convincing her and because of that he used the one last means of persuasion he could, something he was almost sure to work, "It would make me happy if you came with me."

That certainly did it, as Jack had guessed, or rather knew, Rapunzel wanted to see him happy, especially after the months he'd been so sad and alone and so she nodded and held out her hand.

"I have to be back before dinner."

"Done."

With her arms around his neck he called for the wind, it picked them up off the kitchen floor and into the sky where Rapunzel screamed in terror and joy from the height.

One trip turned into another and other and before long Rapunzel was leaving the tower daily, her mother would come for breakfast and dinner but the time in between was hers, hers and Jack's. They'd travel to water, to land, spend hours in the air, laughing, eating, playing, at times she'd fallen asleep in his arms.

All the things she'd read in her novels became reality, all the colors she'd hoped to see were in front of her eyes, she ran her fingers through the bark of trees, the fur of a dog, she inhaled the sent of lilacs and roses, she watched the world change and she embraced it with the greatest joy.

* * *

Every day Jack spent with her, the happier he became and the last of the darkness in him was gone, but there was still one thing that bothered him, one thing he had been afraid to tell Rapunzel because of how she would react to his observations but after so many months of adventures, he felt the need to ask.

"Why don't you stay with me?" Jack asked, it wasn't the right question but it was the opening he needed.

"Because mother would worry." Rapunzel said sweetly, she was sure, or so she thought, Jack was teasing.

"Are you happy with your mother?" He asked, inching closer to what it was he wanted to know.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She asked absentmindedly, her eyes were on two swans on a lake, she was trying to draw them in a paper book Jack had gotten for her.

"Because she never lets you leave, she never lets you talk to anyone… and…" Jack hadn't wanted to admit he'd watch her while she was with her mother, it felt creepy and strange of him to say but he had no one else who could see him and because of that he was reluctant to leave her, "I've heard the way she talks to you, she puts you down and you don't ever say anything about it."

Rapunzel put down her pencil and looked up at Jack, "What are you saying?"

He rubbed the back of his head, he didn't want to make the comparison he was about to but he cared about her too much not to, "Gothel is to you as Pitch was to me." He said it as softly as he could.

Rapunzel was about to laugh but the sound was caught in her throat. She knew what Pitch was to Jack, he was all Jack had but he was abusive. Outwardly he came off as kind and loving but his motives were not good, his intentions were evil. He wanted to use Jack, but Gothel…

"Mother doesn't use me …" She closed her eyes and touched her hair, Jack had long known of what it could do, and as requested he'd kept it a secret although he had no one to tell it to anyway.

"I think we both know that's not true." Jack recalled the way Gothel's wrinkles became smooth whenever Rapunzel sang her song, she was using Rapunzel to retain her youth, it was the simple fact that Jack had danced around for so long.

"I … I need to think," She got up from the ground and shoved the book and pencil into a bag, wrapped it over her shoulders and extended her hand for Jack to take, "Can I go home, for now? Dinner time is soon." Jack nodded, he knew it would take time but he had hoped she'd realized it sooner than later, for her own sake.

When they reached the tower, Jack had bent his knees and leaned forward on his toes against the ledge of the tower. He watched Rapunzel put away her bag and set the table for her mother who would be coming any minute now. Rapunzel wasn't too worried about Jack's presence, they had learned, as Jack has suspected, that Gothel couldn't see him, still she worried.

"Rapunzel?" Jack said as he stood up on the ledge, preparing to leave.

"Yes Jack?"

"I just want you to know that I… was only trying to help you the way you helped me."

She gave him her most genuine warm smile and nodded, with relief in his heart once more, he waved goodbye.

Rapunzel had asked him before where he went when he wasn't with her and his answers were always vague, Jack had the whole world to see but he'd rather have her as company than just the wind to carry him about the mountains and seas.

He'd traveled deserts, which he very much hated, and lingered around the glaciers he'd often visited in his times of solitude. He iced ponds and rivers, he let the snow fall whenever the temperature was already so low, he soon found joy in watching the children play in his work.

Bringing them snow was the only solace he had when he was away from her, and the longer her mother stayed, the more odd he felt watching her in silence, the more he took off to bring snow days wherever he could.

The night he left her to ponder what he'd told her regarding her mother, he'd stayed out longer than he normally had. It was mostly due to the children who were taking in extra delight from his array of ice crystals. As more children gathered, he found himself more and more excited to see what they'd do. Many hours past and by the time it ended, Jack wanted to see it again. He took off to other country to do the exact same and once again the children ran around shouting in happiness over the pretty icicles Jack had made. It went on longer than Jack realized and before he knew it, it had been three days.

It wasn't until the wind had carried him to a hilltop covered in flowers that he remembered Rapunzel had been waiting for him. He cursed himself for taking so long and sped as fast as he could to find her, but by the time he reached the tower at noon, the windows' doors were closed.

"She must be mad." He said somberly.

He knocked on the wood first but there was no answer, he pushed them open and was startled by the sight of her room. There was broken glass, tussled blankets, blood on the floor, it looked like a struggle had occurred.

Ice crept out from under him as the fear grew, _where had she gone, what had happened her?_

The panic was grew as he searched the tower for her; he found broken plates, he started to believe Rapunzel had confronted her mother and her mother had taken drastic measures, perhaps moving her to other area that was more secluded, where Rapunzel would never see daylight.

His hand shook and he fell to his knees like all those nights ago, the fear was so heavy he could no longer feel the warmth she'd given him and his eyes shifted back and forth from blue to yellow, there was a familiar touch of a nightmare on his shoulder.

"No!" Jack shouted, he beckoned for the wind to take him away, it was quick to pull him out but where it lead was not where Jack had asked to go. He wanted to go to the glaciers to hide, to think but instead the wind was being pulled out into a darker part of the world, a place beneath the earth that Jack had called home for years, Pitch's lair.

With the nightmares following, Jack was dropped down into the hole, he tumbled forward until his head hit something in front of him and he fell backwards. When he opened his eyes, he saw his mentor glaring above him.

"What was it Jack," Pitch said darkly, "that I told you to do if I did not return?"

Jack didn't answer, he couldn't understand why now, of all times, Pitch had returned, how Pitch knew he was in the tower, how he'd found him.

"I believe I told you to find me and if I was dead, avenge me." Pitch's nightmares came to him, moving out of the darkness like a well trained army following their commanders orders.

"And yet I find you in a tower, with a pretty little girl."

Jack tightened his fists, it was beginning to dawn on him that it may not have been Gothel's actions that had caused the blood on the tower's floor, Jack reached out for his staff, his eyes widened when he recalled he'd left it in the tower in his distress.

"You know I made a mistake Jack," Pitch said, "I thought you'd never fall in love, or love anything for that matter, not with someone's heart so cold but I'd forgotten when one is so lonely, they became so eager… to love." Pitch had moved higher and higher in his lair with the nightmares following suit, Jack was far below them, weaponless and terrified.

"And she is such a pretty little thing to love." Pitch moved to his left and revealed Rapunzel chained against the wall, her face had grown pale and her body was slumped over on the floor, she was very weak.

"Rapunzel!" Jack called out to her, she tried to get up to reach him but her body couldn't handle the movement.

"You'll have to forgive her Jack, her mother gave her quite the beating, she barely made it out alive you know, with you gone doing who knows what," Pitch was playing on Jack's fears, milking it in as much as he could to force Jack's pain to surface, to feel his agony, "She was running through the forest when I found her, she knew who I was too, told her I'd taken you and if she wanted you to live, she had to come along." Pitch laughed, "I don't know why I bothered lying to her, she was too weak to defend herself, I suppose I did it for kicks."

Jack pressed his fingers to his temple, he didn't know what to do, how to save her and the whispers of the nightmares had made his mind too loud to focus on a solution.

"If you want to save her Jack, you have to fight for me, you have to fight those that took me, the Guardians Jack, and do you know why?" Pitch was now in front of him, he grabbed Jack's arm and yanked it, "Because that is what you should have done to begin with."

"I… I can't." Jack knew it was wrong, he knew because of Rapunzel, who had taught him what hope was, how to have it, who gave him warmth, he couldn't do Pitch's bidding anymore, but if he didn't… what would become of her, the one person he loved?

"If you want to save her Jack, you'll do as I say."

Jack's eyes shifted from blue to yellow and the more they changed, the longer the yellow color stayed, he could feel the darkness flowing inside his veins, and was sickened by it. He knew he could resist it, he knew it was possible but Rapunzel was the reason he couldn't, he had to protect her.

Rapunzel tugged on her chains, her vision was a blur but she called out to him, he didn't answer her. She shut her eyes and focused, there wasn't much she could do, she didn't have any skills to get herself out of the situation, she was in a weakened state and she wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but what she did have was hope and her healing touch. She looked to Jack and thought of that night, the night she first met him and remembered his question, his question of how he had seen her. She was struck with an epiphany.

_"Flower gleam & glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design  
_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine"_

The sound of her voice was enough for Jack to break through the darkness, he stumbled back from Pitch and called out to her, "Rapunzel, please, I have to do this!"

She pushed herself up until she was standing, "No you don't, just like I didn't need to stay locked away, you taught me that Jack!"

He shook his head, "This is your life Rapunzel."

"And this is yours." Her eyes were full of determination, her hair glowed brighter than he'd ever seen it, so much so she felt her strength returning and without a word, she tugged on her chains and broke free.

She fell forward; Jack rushed over to her, but Pitch was quicker than he was. Before Jack could reach out to her, Pitch was at Rapunzel's side with a wicked grin on his face.

"I'm not afraid of you." Rapunzel said with complete defiance.

"Is that so?" Pitch said inching closer to her, Jack ran over to him and grabbed Pitch by the shoulders, he whirled him back and, with a kick, he sent Pitch flying to the other side of where they stood. Pitch was only knocked down for a few moments and when he regained his composure, he was angrier than ever.

"This is what you do to the one that saved you?" Pitch was seething.

Jack helped Rapunzel up but Pitch was already hurding toward them, "I don't know what to do, you have to run." Jack whispered to her, she could feel him shaking.

She placed both hands on his cheeks and pulled his head down for her took at him, "Remember when you asked how I could see you and others couldn't, and you wondered how it was possible when I had never known what you were?"

Jack was confused and distraught, he couldn't fathom why she was asking him this, he quickly pushed them both to the ground to avoid Pitch's dark arrows that were darting towards them.

"Jack!" She said to get his attention.

"Yes, yes I remember!" He said as he pulled them back up, her hair was still glowing, and while the warmth was comforting, his anxiety and fear for her safety were still present.

"I figured out why Jack, I figured out why I could see you." She forced him to look at her, "I see warmth in a person's heart." She touched his chest, "And I saw yours, I saw you."

His hand moved to hers, he wrapped his fingers around her own, "Jack, darkness is cold but cold does not have to be dark, do you understand?"

Jack nodded, he now understood what she had been trying to tell him, why she knew her healing power could give her strength to break through the chains, it was warmth in darkness that gave her power, because warmth was light and in that light he had found his solution.

He pressed her close to him and kissed the top of her forehead. Pitch was walking toward them, with a black arrow floating over his palm.

"Enough is enough Jack, whose heart will this go through? Yours or hers? As you well know it will only turn you back into the nightmare Jack I knew so well, but with her… with her it will kill."

"No it won't." Jack said, he straightened his back, "Because I'm not as cold as you thought I was, I'm not like you."

Pitch laughed bitterly, "What a shame, what a waste Jack, to you and her, but maybe after I kill her you'll be cold enough to remember what you truly are," With his own shadows, Pitch formed a bow and stretched the string back with his arrow tightly in his grip, "Darkness Jack, dark and cold."

Pitch released the arrow, it spun straight forward to them but neither moved, they only held one another tighter and the stronger they held one another, the warmer they felt, and from there the strength came. Just before the arrow struck them, it disintegrated into one puff and faded from the air.

"That's… that's impossible!" Pitch shouted.

"No," Rapunzel said quietly, "That's love."

The mere word, "love," was too much for Pitch, he felt himself growing weaker and his nightmares were disappearing from his very sight.

"This, can't be." Pitch said weakly, his words were barely audible, he felt himself fading just as the arrow and his nightmares had, both Jack and Rapunzel stepped closer to him and as they drew near he felt as though he was truly dying.

"Goodbye old friend." Jack said, "You won't be controlling me any longer."

With that, Pitch was gone.

Neither knew if he was gone for good or if he would return but both were certain that if he did come back, he would never defeat them, not with what they had in their hearts, and especially not when they were together.

Rapunzel pulled Jack into a hug and let out a relieved sigh, "We did it!" She said, he was happy to hear her voice excited again but there were other things he had to think about.

"What about your mother, you won't go back there, will you?" He touched a bruise on her chin, if she said yes he didn't think he could let her go.

"No," Rapunzel said wearily, "I've learned what love really is, and I won't be going back," She hugged him tightly, "If you'd let me come along, I'd like that very much."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "Always."

Both eager to leave the dark lair, Jack called for the wind, it carried them both outside and it was then that Jack realized they had to go back to the tower in order to retrieve his staff, he asked her to stay but she refused, "She's not in the tower Jack, she's looking for me, it'll be okay."

With that, they flew to the tower, after Jack had picked up his staff, Rapunzel stuffed her bag with clothes, books, paints and drawings. As he watched her, Jack thought of what their life might be together, how quickly things had changed. She'd need food and sleep, and what of aging? He couldn't but she could?

He tried to block those thoughts but he couldn't, he had to think of what it would be like for her to be with him.

The more he thought, the more he worried for her. At first she'd be happy but what happened twenty, thirty years from now when he was still a young man and she had grown older, what if she wanted children, a home? Even in her youth, how happy could she be having to explain her invisible lover? Everyone would think she was insane, they'd throw her into an asylum and she'd be locked up all over again.

It was becoming too much for him, all this struggle and for what, the realization that a life with him would never be fufilling, no matter how much she claimed it would be?

"Jack?" He smiled at her, and pulled her close.

"We better get going."

* * *

He flew them to a nearby town, the kingdom of Corona as he had known it, and settled them both behind a building in the town's square. They could hear children laughing, music playing and feet tapping.

"That sounds like a fun party," Jack said, he took her hand and twirled her around, she was laughing, and for a moment his worries faded but only for a moment. He realized by the look of someone passing by, who looked at Rapunzel as though she'd lost her mind pretending to dance with herself, that he had to break both their hearts…

"Rapunzel, you should know…" She touched his face gingerly, and ran her hands through his hair. In her eyes, he could she was dreaming of what their life would be, blinded in her innocence to all the struggles they'd face, the pain she'd feel.

"What is it Jack?"

He kissed her cheek, and leaned into her ear, "I love you." He pressed his head to her temple and grabbed her hand, he was holding it so tightly and with every second he held it, he could feel it becoming nearly impossible to go.

"Jack, you sound like you're saying goodbye?" She sounded so worried that he pulled back to let her see him smile, it calmed her enough to smile herself.

"Tell me you love me Punz." She grimaced at the name, "Punzie." She put her hands on his shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her waist, "Zhelly." She laughed, her laugh was beautiful and he knew he'd miss it, which was why he didn't want to leave her.

_Maybe I was wrong, maybe we could have a few decades together, maybe none of it matters, maybe I'm underestimating her?_

With utmost kindness and love, he kissed her on her lips, she leaned forward on her toes to kiss him deeper. It lasted for minutes, but it felt much longer, the sound of the music coming closer stopped them both.

"Go dance, I'll watch."

"But you love to dance Jack,"

"Only with you, and they can't see me, go dance, I'll watch from the rooftops."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She kissed him again and then ran out into the town square, the people welcomed her and within a matter of minutes, she was dancing along the circle. Jack sat on the rooftop of a bakery, he waved at her, he smiled and clapped along as she moved through the people, every now and then she'd look to the rooftop to make sure he was still there. After three songs, she missed him, she wanted him by her side and gracefully, she moved out of the crowd toward Jack, he pointed ahead of them and Rapunzel nodded, he wanted them to meet out of the town square.

She weaved through the crowd, all along watching Jack jump in and out of the crowd, smirking as he did so, she was laughing at him, mouthing for him to stop causing so much trouble.

Soon the task of reaching him outside the crowd, to a quiet place where they could be alone, grew into a tiresome one. She was beginning to wonder why he hadn't asked her to go behind the bakery instead.

The more time passed, the more panicked she felt, she couldn't see him, she looked up to the sky, and searched for him on the roofs but he was no where to be found.

"Jack, this isn't funny." She whispered, there was no answer.

She started to run through the crowd, babbling awkward apologies to those she pushed along her way. By the time she reached the end of the street where all was quiet, she called out his name over and over.

"Jack, Jack!" She shouted, and still no answer. With her heart beating fast, she ran back to the town square, searching for him, spinning in circles and shaking her hands.

When she was once more in the town square, she ran over to the building they'd hidden behind before and called for him.

"Please Jack," She whispered. Nothing.

She sat down on the ground and pushed her knees against her chin, tears were streaming down her cheeks, she didn't know where to go, who to speak to, how to get help.

"Are you alright there Blondie?" Rapunzel was startled by the sound, she looked up and saw an older man standing over her with his arms crossed, looking down at her with a perplexed expression.

"Guess that was a stupid question." He said, he held out a hand to her and she took it, not knowing what else to do.

"I lost someone." She said as she dried her tears with her dress.

"Oh," Rapunzel could see she'd made him uncomfortable and chose to change the subject, she couldn't very well tell him who Jack was, and perhaps he'd left in an emergency, or maybe had a surprise for her and she was overreacting, she started to calm down.

"My name's Rapunzel, I didn't mean to worry you, I'm sure he'll be back soon, he's a bit of a trickster, probably playing a game." She tried to be as sweet as she could so as to convince herself that it was true.

"Flynn, and it's okay, don't apologize for being worried about someone." He put his hand to his chin, normally he'd go, he couldn't fell well stay with his record but he felt so sorry for her, he couldn't see the hurt in getting her some food, "Hey, how about I get you something eat while you wait for him?" He didn't want to leave her alone in the street, partly because her eyes were still visibly red, partly because she was small and the streets of Corona, while safer than others, had plenty of crooks lurking in the night, he knew that better than anyone.

She looked around one more time for Jack. She sighed and nodded, "Okay, thank you, I'd appreciate that very much!"

The two of them walked back into the town square where Rapunzel was once again smiling.

Far off to the side, hidden behind paper lanterns, was Jack Frost, wiping his own tears away as he watched the person he loved most walk farther away from him, in a sense she was walking into the life he couldn't give her, the life she deserved.

"Goodbye Rapunzel," He whispered as she disappeared from sight, "I'll always, always love you." With that Jack called for the wind, it picked him up and flew him out of Corona and higher into the sky…

And although he never saw her again, he never, ever forgot the young woman who'd saved him from the darkness, the same woman who was the only one he'd ever been in love with and ever would.


End file.
